Dodgers prospect regaining past form

Nick Christensen

Friday, April 29, 2005 | 10:28 a.m.

At a time when most 19-year-olds in the minors are planning how best to spend their summers in exciting destinations like Cedar Rapids, Hickory or Modesto, James Loney was playing ball with the big boys - and doing a good job of it.

One of the Dodgers' top prospects, first baseman Loney had a tremendously promising spring training last year, going 12-for-35 at the plate with seven RBIs at the Dodgers' major league camp.

"It wasn't too big of a deal," Loney said of his time at the big kids' table. "They treated me well. It was a good experience."

A converted pitcher, Loney's meteoric rise started when Baseball America called him the best pure hitter in the 2002 draft. Since then, he's hit .278 in 293 minor league games.

He took another step up the ladder when he started the season at Jacksonville. A trip to Las Vegas - or beyond - was easily possible given his spring performance.

But baseball has a funny way of keeping even the brightest phenoms in check. It was less than a month into the Double-A season when an errant ball thrown by a fielder hit a sliding Loney in his middle finger.

The broken finger put him out of action temporarily. Infection soon set in, turning a broken finger into a lame arm.

"I couldn't do anything," he said. "I was taking antibiotics through my veins. I couldn't work out, I couldn't do anything. I got weak and stuff. I couldn't swing really."

That year at Jacksonville ended with a thud. Loney hit a career low .238, limping back to the Arizona Fall League to try and recapture the swing that got him as much respect a 20-year-old could hope for.

"I felt good out there," he said of his time with the Scottsdale Scorpions. "I had a rough time a bit last year. I think it helped me overall."

Loney didn't get the chances in 2005 he did in 2004, going 1-for-10 in spring training before being sent to minor league camp. His start to 2005 was just as rough, getting eight hits in his first 46 at bats.

"We had to get used to each other. We didn't play together in spring training much as a team," Loney said. "I think now we're coming together. I think we're just getting used to the guys, the coach and everything."

The coach is John Shoemaker, a veteran Dodger farmhand now serving as the Suns' skipper. His hitting coach is former Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager.

Shoemaker said his staff noticed a slight problem in Loney's approach at the plate.

"When the season started, he was getting out onto this front foot a little too early," Shoemaker said. "He made a slight adjustment in his stance where he was keeping more of his weight and allowing the ball to get to him. With that nice swing he has, he's letting the pitcher supply the power."

Loney broke out of the funk on April 21, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBIs. Since then, Loney's had four two-hit games, bringing in seven runs in that stretch.

"He's beginning to drive more balls like we know that he's capable of," Shoemaker said. "What we're hoping is for him to be a hitter that can use all parts of the field. That's where his strength is.

"He's been in Double-A for a couple of seasons. People are going to start trying to recognize some of his weaknesses, and trying to pitch to his weaknesses. It's up to him to make the adjustment."

For Loney, it's just a matter of having fun while he's playing, advice he got from former teammates Paul LoDuca and Dave Roberts at the Dodgers' training camps. He laughs off the long bus rides in the Southern League, including Thursday's seven-hour ride to Mobile, Ala., from Jacksonville.

"I just roll out a mat and lay on the floor," he said. "It's not too bad. I usually go to the hotel and stretch a little, try to keep my legs loose."

Shoemaker points out that his enthusiastic infielder is still so young, even at Double-A.

"He was in Double-A last year at 19. That's moving pretty fast throughout anybody's organization," he said. "We're hoping he can continue to improve, and when the opportunity arises, and it's time to move up, he'll be ready to move up to Las Vegas.

"Maybe in the years to come he might be the first base future for the L.A. Dodgers. That's what we're hoping for."